Brandon Ingram Wins 2019-20 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award

• Brandon Ingram is the NBA’s 2019-20 Most Improved Player.
• The 22-year old averaged 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists thru March 11th, the league cutoff for the award.
• Ingram was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers during offseason as part of the Anthony Davis deal.

Brandon Ingram’s transformation from an underachieving talent to a full-fledged All-Star this season was one of the big stories in the NBA this year. It did not go unnoticed as the 22-year old forward was named as the NBA’s Most Improved Player for the 2019-20 season on Monday.

𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓.
𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃.
𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑.@B_Ingram13 worked for this 💪 pic.twitter.com/oBpYjgqsbQ

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) August 31, 2020

Best Season Ever

The current campaign didn’t start out well for Ingram as he was among the young core of the Los Angeles Lakers who were traded to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis before the start of the season. But instead of struggling in his new surroundings, Ingram blossomed and had his best season ever.

He averaged 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ingram knocked down a total of 137 three-pointers through March 11th which was more than his total during his first three NBA seasons. He also became a very good free throw shooter this year, improving from 66.6% in his first three seasons to 85% during the 2019-20 campaign.

Up until the suspension, he ranked 13th in the league in scoring and had 11 30-point games this season as compared to only four during his first three NBA seasons. Ingram also set his career-high of 49 points this season against the Utah Jazz on January 16, 2020.

Second Pick Overall in 2016

The 6-7 forward was the Los Angeles Lakers’ second overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft after starring as a freshman at Duke University. Ingram was picked after Ben Simmons and before Jaylen Brown in the draft. He struggled to adjust to the NBA, especially physically, although he finished strong during his rookie year and was named to the All-Rookie second team.

His game slowly picked up but by the time that he was ready to step up to the next level, the Lakers signed LeBron James and put him in the backseat. Ingram averaged 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in three seasons with Los Angeles. When the team decided to trade for Anthony Davis, he was the biggest trade chip offered to the Pelicans.

With 2019 #1 pick Zion Williamson sidelined to start the season, Ingram led the Pelicans in scoring while improving all of his statistical numbers. By the time Williamson arrived, Ingram had already earned his first-ever All-Star selection. With Zion back, the Pelicans rose in the standings and made a run for the 8th seed. They fizzled in Orlando but Ingram had done enough to merit this year’s MIP award.

New Orleans has one of the best young cores in the league. With Williamson, Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and veteran Jrue Holiday, they are going to be playoff contenders this coming season. If Williamson can stay healthy and Ingam continues to improve, the Pelicans are a tough team to beat in the NBA.

Second in the Oddsboard, But First in the Voting

Ingram (+240) was second to Bam Adebayo (-139) in the odds board when the league announced a restart. However, when the time to vote came, the global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters gave him 42 out of a possible 100 first place votes. Adebayo got 38 first place nods while Dallas Mavericks phenom Luka Doncic with 12 first place ballots.

The 2nd pick of the 2016 NBA draft fetched a total of 326 points while Adebayo finished second with 295 points. Meanwhile, Doncic came in third with 101 points. Players were awarded 5 points for every first place vote, three points for a second place vote, and one point for a third place vote.

Voting was based on the finalists’ performance up to March 11th or before the season was suspended. The seeding games played in Orlando from July 30- August 14, 2020 were part of the regular season but did not count towards the voting for the Most Improved Player award or for the other player awards for the 2019-20 season.

nguồn: The Sports Geek https://www.thesportsgeek.com/news/brandon-ingram-wins-2019-20-kia-nba-most-improved-player-award/
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